The White In The Night
by J. Raven Weasley
Summary: The Trio goes out for a stroll after a night of studying and find some unexpected activities in the halls...mild profanity, and a high cornfactor


The White in the Night part 1  
  
It was getting close to midnight on a dark and stormy night when Ron and Harry finally stopped studying for their O.W.L.'s –constantly under the carful scrutiny of Hermione of course.   
  
Yawning Ron announced, " Wow! I never thought I'd finish that. Thanks loads Hermione. I couldn't have done it with out you." He gave her a look and Harry rolled his eyes. Hermione blushed,  
  
"Ronnnnn…." At this point, Harry started giggling. Even though he thought it was a very girlish thing to do. Hermione looked over at him, rolling her eyes.   
  
"I'm beat! Good night you two…." Harry said as he headed towards the stairs.   
  
"What?! Harry… you said we would spy on Malfoy tonight, please…" Hermione batted her eyelashes and tugged on his sleeve in a mock whining voice.  
  
"Yeh, Harry. Honestly….what did you think was going to happen that you should just leave for bed when we have plans tonight?" Ron joined Hermione in pulling Harry off the stairs. Harry turned reluctantly and sighed.  
  
"Well, I never can tell with you too." He shook his finger accusingly. He just couldn't help himself…. " Listen to ole Ronnikins there.. 'we have plans tonight'….sheesh." Both Ron and Hermione exchanged worried glances and then started to mock beat Harry over the head with textbooks.   
  
"Harry." Hermione's tone was now stern and commanding. " Did you really think that Ron and I were that big of gits that we would ditch you to go off snogging somewhere in the middle of the night?" Harry started giggling again.  
  
"Honestly…and give up our chance to spy on Malfoy and Pansy snogging in the middle of the night?" Ron looked excited.  
  
"Ronnnn…that is...um…" Hermione looked as if she didn't know whether to be disgusted or amused.  
  
"Well," said Harry, "since you two are so interested in snogging…I'll just go up stairs and…" Hermione glared at him. "…get my invisibility cloak and marauder's map." He gave her a look which said 'see….I'm just kidding around with you….I know you will snog with Ron later…'He then bounded up the stairs to fetch the things and moments later slid down the banister almost colliding with Ron and Hermione standing (not snogging) at the end of the stairs where he'd left them.  
  
"I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" He asked, grinning broadly. His friends rolled their eyes and shook their heads as if to say 'of course not.' But he knew them better than that. They crept out of the common room and threw on the invisibility cloak. Harry insisted on being between Ron and Hermione while they crept through the deserted halls…just in case.   
  
They walked in silence for a long time until Harry- who had been looking at the Marauder's Map- whispered,   
  
"Stop. Someone's coming, only, I can't make out their name. Lumos.. Ack! It's Pansy Parkinson." They stood stalk still. Pansy glided by in a creepily black gauzy dressing gown and bare feet, barely making a sound. She glanced over her shoulder as she passed, Ron stifled a snigger.  
  
"WHAT is she wearing?!" He whispered disgustingly. (writer's comment: how do the british say ho-bag?) Hermione replied, secretly happy Ron did not enjoy such a sight.   
  
"I don't know, but she looks like a…." She paused not knowing if she should say it.  
  
"It's called a whore Hermione." Harry said mocking her informative tone she often took with Ron and him. She rolled her eyes and they continued on their way. As they neared the Slytherin common room entrance they heard giggling. They crept forward very slowly so as not to make a sound. However, the persons who were giggling would not have noticed them even without the invisibility cloak. Ron made a barfing noise as they turned a corner. There standing in front of them was Pansy Parkinson in her awful whore outfit whispering with another Slytherin girl in equally atrocious attire. The trio slid up against the wall where no one might step on them and listened to Pansy talk excitedly in her shrill voice.  
  
"…and then he told me that he had only ever liked me and that if I went out with him again, you know, gave him a second chance, that he would buy me all sorts of nice things. Of course I said yes. And the next morning I get this," she pulled on her gauzy "robe", "with the owl post! Can you believe it? He is such a sweetie… I don't know why I ever broke up with him. So sexy, and charming. Ooooo, have you seen his father's hair? I'm trying to convince Draco to grow his out like that too…" By this time Harry, Ron, and Hermione were struggling not to laugh out loud. Quickly, Hermione remembered a silencing charm and put in on all of them. Ron tried to say 'thanks' but he could only mouth the words. Pansy continued to chatter.  
  
"Oooo, I can't wait until tonight. You know, we've only kissed once before and that was a just a silly dare at his party last year. Did you go? Yes, you did I remember seeing you. Anyway, Crabbe and Goyle were pretty drunk, in fact most of us were. And we had this riotous game of Truth or Dare, of course I got a truth and had to tell everyone that I had a crush on Malfoy. I don't think he was surprised, I mean I'm a soo good at flirting and seducing and all that good stuff. Anyway, of course they dared him to kiss me and he did and it was…" she paused "heaven, I swear. Oh my god, here he comes."  
  
At that moment Draco Malfoy had come out into the hall.   
  
"Good evening ladies." He said as he combed his fingers through his hair impressively. The other girl looked as if she might swoon and Pansy actually did. Draco caught her in his arms and said,  
  
"My, you look ravishing tonight darling."  
  
"Oh, Draco. Thank you. You look very…" But Hermione, Harry and Ron never heard the rest. They had all collapsed on the floor in hysterics. Thankfully for Hermione's silencing charm, no one could hear them. Ron was gasping for breath and Hermione actually had tears coming out of her eyes. Harry was trying hard to resist the urge to slap his knee and say 'what a bitch slapper' which made him laugh only harder. When they finally were able to control themselves and look up, the sight they saw was at least ten times funnier than Pansy swooning. Draco was holding her and they of course were snogging. She, in her gauzy "robe" and skimpy what might be called pajamas in some places, but more commonly known as underwear, he in a frilly white night gown with lace cuffs and pearly buttons up the back. It was a sight like no other. Imagine your worst enemy standing in the hall at school in the middle of the night making out with his butt ugly girlfriend while wearing a short, very short, frilly white nightgown. With lace! This was just too much for the trio. They had to flee from the sight, and didn't stop running until they were back in the Gryffindor common room. At this point, the silencing charm had worn off and they had collapsed in peels of laughter. They were rolling on the floor, messing up their hair and robes. Harry thought he had never laughed so hard in his life. Ron was turning a violent shade of purple for lack of air, which caused Harry to smack him on the back to try to help him. Ron burst into laughter and Hermione was still trying to fight tears. It was nearing two o'clock when they finally were able to control them selves. They had been having trouble looking at each other without laughing for almost fifteen minutes. All had tears in their eyes, and Ron's complexion was looking almost normal. Finally they spoke,  
  
"Oh my god, that was the funniest thing I have ever scene in my entire life!!!" Ron said. Hermione nodded, almost sobbing.  
  
"Honestly, I've seen funnier." Harry said smirking.  
  
"What is funnier than Draco Malfoy, your arch enemy, in a frilly nightgown?" Ron gave him a quizzical eyebrow raise.  
  
Harry giggled, "You two flirting!!!!" He grinned and then started giggling some more.   
  
"Oh give it up Harry, it's getting old." Hermione tried to keep a straight face as she said this. Harry resisted the urge to make further comment and they all sat in an awkward silence for a second. But then started giggling again.   
  
"Honestly, what is all the commotion down here?" Fred and George had just descended the stairway in their pajama's and matching sweaters.  
  
"Oh nothing." Ron and Hermione said in unison, causing them to giggle even more.   
  
Fred looked suspiciously at them,  
  
"They haven't been snogging again, have they Harry?"  
  
Harry nodded, but instantly regretted it as Ron and Hermione both lunged at him with pillows. Fred shook his finger at them,  
  
"Now now, ickle Ronnikins, you can't go after both of your friends. Tisk tisk."  
  
"Actually, we were creeping around and saw Malfoy and Pansy snogging outside the common room." Hermione said matter-of-factly when she and Ron had released Harry.  
  
"He was wearing a frilly nightgown!!" Ron squealed and started laughing again.  
  
"A what!?" Fred and George looked to Harry for an explanation. Harry explained the whole escapade, which ended with the twins sitting on the floor laughing uproariously by the end. Later that night Harry lay in his bed, still giggling to himself. Ron had fallen asleep as soon as he hit the bed, and was snoring loudly. Harry thought to himself that he had never had so much fun in his life, nor had he ever been happier to have the friends that he did. That night, he had a dream involving Snape wearing a frilly nightgown much like Malfoy's and dancing around chanting "Weasley is Our King"...very strange he thought the next morning, and when he told Ron, Ron laughed as loud as he had the night before. Hermione suggested that he see Madam Pomfrey or Professor Trewlawny immediately because he might actually be having a premonition.  
  
The White in the Night part 2  
  
It had been almost a week since Harry, Ron, and Hermione had crept out of the common room and seen Draco and Pansy snogging in their hideously amusing outfits. The O.W.L.'s were getting nearer and nearer by the day. Ron and Harry were in a complete state of distress on a Friday night, studying insanely for the dreaded tests. Hermione was trying to refrain from making snide comments about them not paying attention enough in their classes, seeing her closest friends in such distress made her heart quiver. Especially since it was academic distress.   
  
The common room was silent, except for the scratching of quills, and empty, except for Ron, Harry and Hermione. But it wouldn't be like that for long. With a large wooosh George and Fred slid down the banister and bounded over to the trio, waving their arms with flourish as they went.   
  
"TA-DA!" They said in unison. But they got no response. Hermione was very good at ignoring people while she was studying, while Ron and Harry both thought the twins were just going to show them some stupid new stunt they had cooked up. Which they were.  
  
"Hello Harry." Fred said in a sing-songy voice.  
  
"Oy, Hermione." George said in a deep gruff voice.  
  
"Ooooo Ickle Ronnikins…" They said together.  
  
After about three minutes of silence, the trio looked up, rolling their eyes. However, the sight that stood before them was far beyond anything they'd ever imagined. Fred and George were standing in front of the table holding their arms out like lovely assistants to a magician, pointing to each other. Each one was wearing a frilly nightgown.  
  
"What in the name of….?" Ron looked utterly disgusted, yet amused.  
  
"I…uh...Fred? George? Just what exactly are you doing?" Hermione sounded as if she was going to tell them off for misbehaving.  
  
"What the HELL are you wearing?!" Harry's mouth dropped. Hermione started giggling. Ron seemed frozen in shock.   
  
"oh, these little things…" George said pointing at the nightgowns, while Fred batted his eyelashes, "aren't they lovely? I mean soo Malfoy-esque. And look, satin bows for our hair!" He opend the palm of his hand as showed them two pink satin bows. "We snitched them from Ginny, shhhhh." He whispered  
  
"You are wearing something underneath those aren't you?" Hermione asked. The twins nodded.  
  
"So, what are you doing with these things besides dancing around at midnight in the common room interrupting out studying?" Ron raised his eyebrow suspiciously.  
  
"Oh, nothing really. We just thought we might, you know." His voice suddenly becoming squealy like Pansy's, " Show them to darling Malfoy…while chanting of course." With that both twins linked arms and started doing a mock-jig around the room while singing an odd version of Weasley is our king. Only it was more like…  
  
Malfoy is our King,  
  
He always has the highest style  
  
Even when covered with the foulest bile  
  
We all agree the snakes are king  
  
*bending down and singing in deep voices*   
  
Those slimy, frilly, snogging snakes  
  
*raising their arms* Malfoy is our King.  
  
He always shows those gits *pointing to themselves* who's the boss  
  
But you never know when he might toss  
  
His Quidditch robes aside   
  
When Pansy Parkinson does decide  
  
*Squeals* that tonight's the night when they must wear  
  
frilly nightgowns and underwear!  
  
*Slowly* Malfoy is our King……  
  
They bowed with a flourish as Ron, Hermione and Harry clapped loudly. And of course, no one in the room could stop them selves from giggling.   
  
"That was great! Can we come along?" Ron asked.  
  
"Sure, as long as you and ole Hermy promise not to snogg." Fred winked at Harry. Hermione looked offended, Harry was sure she did not like being referred to as 'ole Hermy.' Ron just rolled his eyes, as Harry ran up the stairs to fetch the map and cloak.   
  
Ron, Harry, and Hermione followed the twins in silence under the invisibility cloak, as they walked towards Draco and Pansy's favorite snogging place. They were only several yards away, when they could hear Pansy giggling while Draco whispered. Hermione cast a silencing spell on she, Harry and Ron, as they positioned themselves behind a statue of Salazar Slytherin. Fred and George then slowly crept up behind Draco and Pansy, who were so preoccupied they failed to notice the twins standing right behind them.  
  
"Draco…I just love that nightie of yours. Where did you get it?" Fred asked as Draco and Pansy jumped and turned around to face them.   
  
"oh, and Pansy, you look equally ravishing…" George said with a smirk.   
  
"Lay off it Weasley, what are you doing here?" Draco asked accusingly putting his hands on his hips. George whispered to Fred,   
  
"My my, look he stands just like mum does when she's mad." Draco shot them a look.   
  
"Don't look so mad, ickle Malfoy, we came here to show our appreciation for your presence here at Hogwarts." With that, they threw off their black robes. Showing the frilly nightgowns in all their glory. They then linked arms and proceeded to sing 'Malfoy is our King' while doing a funny jig around Draco and Pansy. The two Slytherins were so shocked that they actually had their mouths hanging open. Both were blushing and staring angrily at the bounding twins who were having the time of their lives. When they were done, Fred and George bowed lavishly and took a step back, expecting a snide comment from Draco. However, he remained silent. He looked dumbstruck, and all four of them stood in an awkward silence for a minute or two before he managed to say.   
  
"Very funny Weasleys. You know I could tell McGonagall and Snape about this and have you expelled." He waited for the twins to reply.  
  
"Go ahead, tell them. I don't suppose either of them will care what you were doing out of your beds in the middle of the night. Dressed like that, no less." George smirked, and Fred tried not to giggle. (Neither party knew that Snape would indeed understand why Draco was snogging in a frilly nightgown.) Draco gave them another glaring look but didn't move. Fred and George took this as their chance to escape they disapparated with a Crack! And moments later were standing in front of the statue where they knew Ron, Harry and Hermione were hiding.   
  
"Pssst. Guys, come on. We should go back to the common room." George whispered.   
  
Ron peered his head out of the cloak and nodded. Then all five of them started off towards the common room. After they had all crawled through the Fat Lady, the trio threw off the cloak and fell to the floor laughing. Fred and George looked very pleased with themselves and joined in. They all laughed for hours, only stopping to say things like. 'Did you see the look on Malfoy's face?' or 'Can you believe Pansy was still wearing that awful thing?'   
  
Finally, they managed to settle down. And the twins ascended the stairs, saying all that dancing had worn them out. Harry agreed, even though he hadn't been dancing, it had been a long day and he was about to pass out on Ron's lap.  
  
He stood up saying,   
  
"G'night you two. Don't stay up too late, we have Quidditch practice tomorrow, and a visit to Hogsmeade." His tone sounded much like Hermione and Ron couldn't help giggling. Hermione however, nodded and waved Harry goodnight. When Harry was surly in the dormitory. Ron said,  
  
"Promise me Hermione, you will never wear such an awful outfit." He looked at her seriously.  
  
"As long as you don't wear a frilly nightgown, ickle Ronnikins." She smiled as she said the last part.   
  
Ron smiled back and then blushed.  
  
"Damn, you ruined my surprise…." He made a look of mock-forlorn as Hermione giggled, then stood up.  
  
"Well, Harry's right you know. We do need to get to bed." Ron raised one eyebrow then nodded, " separate beds Ronnn…" Hermione added quickly.   
  
"Damn again" Ron sighed. She took his hand and helped him to stand up. But he lost his balance and Hermione had to catch him before he fell on top of her. They stood there like that, Ron with one arm over her shoulder, the other hand still clutching hers while she had her other arm around his waist so he didn't fall.   
  
"Uh…sorry 'bout that." Ron stood up properly and dusted himself off, but Hermione didn't let go of his hand. "errr…." He shook it. "Nice to meet you Hermione, now can I please have my hand back?" She blushed and let go. "Sorry" She muttered and turned around to walk up the stairs. She was halfway up the stairs when Ron said,   
  
"Hermione, wait. We need to talk." She turned.  
  
"Yes? What about?"  
  
"Hermione, what just happened?"   
  
"I was helping you stand up and you fell forwards." She said impatiently.  
  
Ron rolled his eyes, "No, not that...errr…" She smiled and took one step down the stairs.  
  
"Hermione, I…I…You…You are one of my best friends and I know that we would be putting our relationship in jeopardy but…" She took another step down the stairs.  
  
"Ron…" She whispered, she knew what was coming but she wasn't sure she wanted it. Was it that obvious? Harry, Fred, and George had already teased she and Ron for liking each other and snogging. But they'd never done any of that. She knew he liked her, but he'd never told her that. True, they were always fighting, and teasing…flirting?!. But she'd never told him how she felt either. She took one more step and sat down several steps above the floor where Ron was standing.   
  
"Hermione, we can't pretend we don't know why Harry teases us all the time…Hermione…. I really like you. And you are a very good friend I don't know what I would do with out you. It's just that sometimes, I feel that we are more than friends and I want to know how you feel and…Hermione? Oh no, please don't cry…" She couldn't help herself, several fat warm tears had started to roll down her cheeks.  
  
"Oh Ron, I really like you too. But I never thought it would work between us...I tried to tell myself that you were just a friend, but..." She sighed, "It didn't work, and ever since then I've been tortured by the thought…"  
  
Ron had the urge to go comfort her but he suddenly had a funny feeling. Maybe she was right maybe it wouldn't work out. But maybe, just maybe it would. Maybe….  
  
"Listen Hermione…." He wasn't sure what to say, he dropped his voice. "What do we do then?" For once, Hermione didn't have an answer to one of Ron's questions. She shook her head.   
  
"Well, that's ridiculous, if we both like each other then there is nothing we can do to stop it and we can't go back to being just friends when we know that's not what we want."  
  
"What do we want Ron?" She wiped her cheek on the sleeve of her robe. He stood still, silent. Contemplating.   
  
"Ron, I want us to be more than friends, but I don't want to ruin our friendship. But I don't think we will. I mean we'll always be friends right? Even if we stop liking each other...I mean, we will be friends forever right?" She paused, "you won't leave me will you Ron?"  
  
"No, no. I will never leave you Hermione. I promise…" He took a step up the stairs and took her hand in his. " I promise with all my heart." Another tear rolled down her cheek as he bent over and kissed her. 


End file.
